


She who dares..

by Taliesin_Ben_Bardd



Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Ahsoka Tano Needs a Hug, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:33:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28013223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taliesin_Ben_Bardd/pseuds/Taliesin_Ben_Bardd
Summary: When Ahsoka Tano finds herself trapped in the World Between Worlds she is faced with an unique opportunity, but what impact will changing one moment from her past have on the future of her and the galaxy?
Relationships: Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 7
Kudos: 81





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Since watching the 'World Between Worlds' episode of Rebels recently I've not been able to stop thinking of what could have happened if Ahsoka had the chance to go back.. and so this fic was born. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy, any comments/feedback are always appreciated. Much love x

**Prologue**

Ahsoka was still for a moment.

"Ezra" she breathed.

He’d come back, he had saved her. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

Now what?

Ezra was gone, the portal seemingly destroyed. How was she supposed to get out of here?

She knew enough about the Force to realise that her coming here had been no accident. She had been brought to this strange place for a reason, though it wasn’t clear right now what that reason might be.

She looked around her. This part of the temple was clearly ancient, so vast and empty. She felt as if it should frighten her, though strangely she found it somewhat comforting. Now that Sidious’ presence was gone, there was nothing to fear in here.

Absentmindedly, she began to wander down one of the gleaming bridges. She didn’t stop herself, there must be a reason for her to decide to walk in this direction.

As she walked, she couldn’t help but get caught up in her thoughts. She thought back to Malachor. To Ezra, Kanan and..

..Vader

It was true then. Anakin, her master, her friend was gone. Replaced by that..that.. did she have a word for him now? Monster perhaps. So far from the man she’d known.

She hadn’t been there for him when he’d needed her. She’d let him down and now he was consumed by darkness. When she’d seen him there in the Sith temple, when she’d heard the weak voice call out her name she couldn’t help but let a small part of her believe that he was going to take off that mask and say "Hey Snips".

How wrong she had been.

"Then you will die"

She tried to get his voice out of her head, the sound of his breathing, the yellow eye, the hate, so much hate, it was all her fault..

Her knees buckled beneath her and she couldn’t help but sink to the ground, grief washing over her in waves. Why couldn’t she save him?

Suddenly, she felt a presence by her side.

"Troubled you seem, Padawan Tano" the voice said "In need of a friend you are, hmm?"

"Master Yoda!" exclaimed Ashoka

She looked over and saw the hint of a smile playing on the old Grand Masters’ lips.

"Given up, have you?" he said his voice full of curiosity "why is this?"

"I thought I could save him" said Ahsoka, bitter tears stinging in her eyes "I didn’t want to believe that it was true, that he was gone. I thought that he could still be in there, that I could make things right".

She didn’t try to hide her tears, she just let them fall silently down her cheeks.

"Hmm" said Yoda, sounding troubled.

He went on "True, true, down a dark path young Skywalker has gone. Blame yourself for this you do?"

"Yes" Ahsoka said in almost a whisper "He-..Maul, he told me that this would happen and I did nothing. I should have gone back, I should have found him. I know I could have kept him safe".

"A heavy burden to carry this is" said Yoda "when at fault you are not".

Ahsoka looked up in surprise "but.." she begun.

Yoda put up a hand to stop her.

"Many reasons there were for Skywalker’s path to Vader" he continued "In motion, a plan was. Blind to it the Jedi were. Help him you could not, much there was you did not know".

"I don’t understand.." begun Ahsoka.

"Darth Sidious" was all Yoda replied.

They were silent for a moment as Ahsoka sat and pondered this. Sidious. She knew he had ultimately been behind the Clone Wars. All that fighting, the death orchestrated by one man pulling the strings.

"How..?" she begun again.

Yoda sighed deeply.

"A great warrior, Skywalker was. Strong in the force, yes. However, a good Jedi, he was not"

He could sense Ahsoka’s rage against his last comment which made him chuckle.

"Protective of your former master you are" he said "as with you, he was".

"Well, of course" said Ahsoka defensively "he was like a brother to me and a great Jedi".

"And made choices to protect you he did, that put other lives at risk, hmm? Not the Jedi way this was. Troubling Skywalker’s attachments were from a young age. Strong were his feelings, his fear of loss. Sensed it I did, but stop his training I did not".

There was a lot of regret in his voice.

He went on "Let go of his mother, he could not. Let go of you, he could not. An attachment to Senator Amidala he had though knew forbidden for a Jedi it was. Wanting to save her, his downfall ultimately was".

"Padmé?" asked Ahsoka, sounding confused "what has she got to do with this?"

"Everything" answered Yoda "Too late did I understand. Agree with the Jedi way, Skywalker did not. Fail him, we did and take advantage of his fears Darth Sidious did".

Ahsoka was silent again for a moment as she thought about the grand masters’ words.

"So, he was trying to save Padmé" she said after a while "and he thought the Sith was the answer to this? But why?"

Yoda gave her a sad smile "Much you don’t know, Padawan. Pregnant, Senator Amidala was".

Ahsoka’s eyes opened wide.

"She was pregnant?" she spluttered "and Anakin was the.." she trailed off.

She couldn’t bring herself to finish that sentence. She had always known that he and the Senator had been close, he wasn’t exactly good at hiding his feelings when he was around her. But she had no idea that he’d acted on it, that they’d…

Sensing the confusion coming from her, Yoda smiled again and said "blind to this, you were too. So save him from Vader you could not".

Ahsoka thought on this for a moment. She’d had no idea of the mess he’d gotten himself into. If she’d have listened to Maul, she doubted that anything she could have said to Anakin could have changed his mind about the lure to the dark side. Especially if he’d have been that desperate.

She tried to think about how he must have been feeling in those last few days. Terrified of the Jedi finding out about Padmé, still fighting a war.. She’d heard that things had been bad with the Jedi before the Republic fell, she was sure that Anakin’s personal turmoil hadn’t helped with things.

She suddenly had a horrible thought remembering what had become of Padmé.

"What happened to the baby?" she asked full of worry.

"Two, there were" answered Yoda with a grin "safe they are".

"Two?" exclaimed Ashoka "As if one Skywalker wasn’t enough" she said feeling a smile play on her lips "now there’s three of them?"

This made Yoda chuckle softly.

"Yes, yes" he said "and key to saving Skywalker, they are".

Ahsoka nodded slowly as she took this in. Anakin a father, who would have thought. She wondered if he knew. No, he couldn’t. She was sure things would have been very different had he known about the children. She wondered what Yoda meant when he said that the children would be the ones to save him, hadn’t he seen what he had become? There was no saving him now. The thought brought her bitterly back to the present. Her master was gone and there was no changing that.

"What’s going to happen now?" she asked after a while.

"Ah" said Yoda thoughtfully "Unique is this place you have found yourself in" he gestured around them. "Here by accident I sense you are not". He sounded sombre.

"Set in stone, time is not" he continued "The will of the Force ever changing the present, future..and past it is".

This caught Ahsoka’s attention. Could she really change the past?

"Is it possible?" she almost whispered "can these terrible things be undone?"

Yoda closed his eyes and looked thoughtful.

"Dangerous changing things that have been can be. Worse things could be if you interfere and sacrifice everything contained to this timeline you will" he said.

Ahsoka was silent again as she thought of the grand masters words, her heart pounding.

So many things had lead to Anakin’s decision to join the dark side, could changing one thing really make that much difference? And would that be enough? What if she did make things worse?

Losing this timeline would have implications for the whole galaxy - was her need to save Anakin worth the risk of ruining millions of lives? It was a heavy thought. She thought of everything that had been lost. The Jedi, The Republic.. and how many countless people had lost their lives, homes and loved ones to The Empire. She thought of Ezra, he had lost his parents, Zeb his entire species and that was only to name two people. Two out of billions that had suffered in the last 15 years. If there was a way to stop that then surely it was her duty to do something?

"I have to" said Ahsoka finally "if there’s a chance to make things better, a hope that things could be different then I can’t walk away from that opportunity".

But where to even start? What could she do from here to help Anakin? Even if she accepted that she could go back through time, would he even believe her if she turned up out of the blue and gave him this warning? Wouldn’t it just make more sense to jump out and run her lightsaber through Palpetine?

Yoda could sense the sudden flood of confusion in her emotions.

"Many paths there are" he said "but only one path, there can be. Brought you here, the Force did and show you the way it will".

"I understand" said Ahsoka.

There was one chance. One chance to make things right.

She sat, crossed her legs and quietened her mind. She tried to steady her breathing as she let the Force take over. She begun to repeat the mantra;

_There is no emotion, there is peace._

She suddenly became aware of how loud it was in here. She could hear the hum of voices. Speaking, laughing, shouting, crying. Some were louder than others. Some sounded familiar, others strange. She was trying to make out what they were saying when she suddenly saw a flash.

It was a city. Tall buildings, racing traffic…

Coruscant.

_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge._

The image changed and she could see the Jedi Temple. It was in front of her as clear as day. She could hear screams, blasters firing. It was on fire.

The image changed again and she could see Padmé. She was crying out in pain.

‘Hold on’

That sounded like Obi-Wan. Suddenly, there was a different sort of crying. A baby.

‘Luke, Leia'

_There is no passion, there is serenity._

Suddenly the image changed again.

Padme. Dead. Lying peacefully in a bed of flowers.

_There is no death, there is the Force._

Then, there was darkness. Ahsoka couldn’t hear anything, she couldn’t see anything but she could feel..

Rage.

There was rage. Undoubtable, earth shattering rage and pain and despair. It was hopeless, it was all hopeless. They would pay. They would all pay for what they’d done…

No

She opened her eyes with a jolt. It took her a moment to remember where she was. She looked around and was surprised to see that Master Yoda had gone. She tried to gather her thoughts quickly before the images disappeared.

She’d seen the temple, she’d seen Padmé and she’d seen.. what was the third thing? She remembered darkness, the rage and she’d heard..

She’d heard him. Vader.

As she tried to get her head around these images she realised that the plethora of bridges and portals had disappeared.

Now, there was just one.

She got to her feet and slowly begun walking towards the portal. She was surprised as she neared to hear that the voice coming out of it was.. hers.

She could see images in the portal. She tried to make out where it was. There were tall buildings, troopers, it looked like Mandalore - the siege? And there she was, in the throne room with Maul.

Suddenly, Ashoka understood. She understood everything. The temple, Padmé, Anakin. She knew what she needed to do.

_"I am here to bring you to justice"_

She could hear her voice coming through the Portal.

_"Justice is merely the construct of the current power base. A base which according to my calculations is about to change’"_

Ahsoka remembered this moment, Maul had tried to convince her to join him.

_"And Darth Sidious is behind it?"_

_"He is behind everything. In the shadows always, but soon, very soon he will reveal himself"_

_"With your help, the Jedi can stop Sidious before it’s too late"_

_"Too late for what? The Republic to fall? It already has and you just can’t see it. There is no justice, no law, no order except for the one that will replace it. The time of the Jedi has passed. They cannot defeat Sidious. But, together you and I can. Every choice you have made has led you to this moment…"_

This was it. This was her one chance.

She took a deep breath. Here we go..


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter and a big thanks to everyone who's left kudos/comments so far :) Next chapter will be coming soon!

_‘Too late for what? The Republic to fall? It already has and you just can’t see it. There is no justice, no law, no order except for the one that will replace it. The time of the Jedi has passed. They cannot defeat Sidious. But, together you and I can. Every choice you have made has led you to this moment…’_

Ahsoka was still for a moment as she took in Maul’s words. The Republic would fall. She couldn’t believe it. How could it fall when they were so close to winning the war?

She could feel the doubt raise in the back of her mind. If he was right.. if this Sith Lord had been behind everything..

She could feel the fear pouring from Maul. Was he lying? She couldn’t think why he would at this point.

A loud bang brought her attention back to the battle happening outside the palace. She turned, eyes opening wide as she saw the missile sail towards the building. It hit with an earth shattering boom that made the ground beneath her feet shake. The large glass window next to her shattered, the force of the explosion causing her to fly backwards where she hit the ground with a hard thud.

She lay, for a moment, ears ringing as she tried to summon her strength to stand up.

She managed to glimpse at Maul. The explosion had thrown him across the room. She could make him out lying on the other end of the hall, unconscious.

Ahsoka raised her hand to her head as she tried to focus. Her whole body ached. The more she tried to focus the more she felt herself slipping away..she needed to get up..

_"Ahsoka"_

She could hear someone whisper her name. It sounded like.. no it couldn’t be.

_"Ahsoka"_

There it was again. She’d heard it clearer this time.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"I must hurry, I don’t have much time" said the figure in front of her.

Ahsoka blinked hard. She must have hit her head harder than she’d thought.

"You’re..you’re.." was all she’d managed to stutter out.

"Yes, I know" said the figure.

Ahsoka knew what she was seeing, though she couldn’t quite make her brain register that crouched in front of her, encased in an orb of light was.. herself, though she was clearly older.

"I don’t have much time, please listen to me" said the older Ahsoka

"Are you real?" Ahsoka managed to say at last.

"Yes" said the older Ashoka before hesitating "or at least I was real in some universe. I am the version of yourself that will be if you carry on down this path.. but the Force has given a chance for you to make a change"

Ahsoka was starting to register that someone was actually stood in front of her. It wasn’t a figment of her imagination, though she still wouldn’t say that this was real.

"What do I need to do?" she asked at last.

"Maul is right" said the Older Ahsoka to her horror "About Sidious, about the Republic, the Jedi, everything. It will fall" she paused.

"And Anakin will fall with it" she said.

"No" said Ahsoka "I don’t believe you!"

"You must" she said "I’ve risked everything to come back and tell you this. You must believe me".

"I’ll save Anakin" said Ahsoka "I’ll stop Sidious!"

Her older self shook her head.

"You cannot" she said "That is not your path. What I'm about to ask you may sound strange, but I need you to trust me. Go to Coruscant and find Padmé".

‘What?’ said Ahsoka ‘Padmé?! Shouldn't I go to the Jedi?’ 

Her older self put up her hand to cut her off. 

"Warn the Jedi if you can" she said "Get them to evacuate the Temple. But your focus has to be Padmé. Get her as far away from the Republic as you can. Keep her safe and above everything else, keep her alive. Anakin may fall but he will not be lost. Save Padmé and she can save him’.

Ahsoka’s mind raced as she tried to take in what was being said to her.

Her older self seemed to sense that she had a million questions to ask.

"I don’t have time to explain" she said "Find her and trust in the Force. It will show you the way"

Ahsoka suddenly sensed that Maul was beginning to stir.

Her older self turned and noticed this too.

"I have to go" she said "promise you will do what I’ve asked you?"

"Yes" said Ahsoka with all the courage she could muster "I promise".

She blinked and the figure was gone.

Was she sure she’d been real? Yes. She must have been. She had sounded so real.

_Save Padmé and she can save him._

The future must have been screwed up pretty bad to make her feel the need to come back and talk to herself. And she had chosen this exact moment - why? Suddenly, she thought of the words Maul had said just moments before.

_Every choice you have made has led you to this moment…_

Gathering all her energy, she got to her feet.

"Maul" she shouted across the room.

She could see him stir and slowly pull himself up. He rubbed his face as he approached her, looking from the exposed window to the glass on the floor before his yellow eyes reached hers.

"Where were we?" he asked shaking his head slightly.

Before Ahsoka had the chance to answer, he went on.

"Ah yes!" he said "You were going to join me?"

He held out his hand to her again.

Ahsoka took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe that she was about to do this.

"Yes" she said firmly "I will join you".

\-------

Everything happened quickly after that. Ahsoka felt as though she should go and find Rex. To warn him and the 501st but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. By the sounds of things, they were short on time. They needed to leave now.

She didn’t think that the Captain would believe her if she explained that she was abandoning him to leave with the very person they’d come here to capture.. No, he would never understand. She could barely believe herself that she was doing this..

..but this was about something more than herself. The universe was changing, and she could feel that there was a lot riding on the actions she took now. She could explain herself to Rex later.

Ahsoka and Maul moved quickly through the palace, quiet as shadows. The battle was still raging which gave them perfect cover.

As they entered the streets, Ahsoka couldn’t help but scan the clones to see if she saw Rex. The fact that she didn’t made her feel relieved as much as it made her insides squirm.

She suddenly became very aware of how recognisable she and Maul were. If the Clones saw her leave with him they would think she was a traitor. They needed to stay hidden.

She pulled Maul into a nearby alleyway and crouched down.

"How are we going to get out of here?" said Ahsoka hurriedly "Even if we get to a republic gunship, they don’t have hyperdrives".

"I have no need for a gunship" said Maul calmly "We shall take one of the Mandalorian ships".

"Where are we going to find one of those?" she hissed losing patience with his lack of urgency.

He smirked.

"Follow me, Lady Tano" he said "I shall lead the way".

With that, he used the force to jump high landing silently on the rooftop just above them. Ahsoka had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. In one swift movement she was next to him on the roof. Before she had a chance to ask any more questions, Maul was running away from the palace and towards the entrance of the city. Ahsoka sprinted after him. They moved quickly, gliding from roof to roof with a synchronisation that came so naturally. It was as if the Force was behind them, pushing them along.

As they neared the shipyard Maul begun to slow down. Ahsoka matched his pace until they were stood still, catching their breath as they observed the shipyard below. It was a large area, surrounded by a tall wire fence. There were about twenty ships dotted within of different shapes and sizes. She turned and saw Maul scan the yard, looking for something specific.

After a moment his yellow eyes lit up.

"It’s still here" he said with a smile "the Nightbrother".

Ahsoka followed his gaze to see a fighter that had clearly been heavily modified. It was sleek with a pointed nose and had been painted black with crimson stripes.

A fitting ship for Maul, she thought to herself.

"How will we get to it?" asked Ahsoka "Seems pretty well guarded to me".

The clones had anticipated that Mandalorians would try to escape and had set up a perimeter. Ahsoka counted about thirty patrolling the area.

"We must take out the guards" said Maul.

"I won’t hurt the clones" she said firmly.

Maul let out an annoyed sigh.

"Things will get worse this evening before they get any better" he said "So I suggest you do what needs to be done".

Ahsoka stood her ground.

"I won’t hurt them" she said again.

"Fine" snarled Maul "I’ll distract the troopers, you must get to the ship. Get it ready to leave".

"I will" she said "But you can’t harm the clones either".

Maul gave another annoyed sigh. He gritted his teeth.

"As you wish" he said.

They jumped down from the rooftop in unison, landing silently on the ground below. Ahsoka watched as Maul sprinted towards the shipyard gate, igniting his lightsaber as he went. She heard one of the clones shout "Watch out!"

Maul used the force to push three of them across the yard where they hit the ground hard.

Hearing the commotion, the remaining clones begun sprinting towards the gate, blasters raised. This was enough of a distraction for Ahsoka to make it to the fence where she begun to quickly climb up the thin frame.

When she got to the top she stopped for a moment to look back towards the gate. She could see that Maul was still fighting the clones. There was a barrage of fire heading towards him that caused his lightsaber to become a red blur as he spun and twisted to deflect the fire. Ahsoka tried not to count the bodies on the ground, she hoped that they were just unconscious. 

She couldn’t let her emotions take over now, she had a job to do. She needed to focus.

She quickly launched herself upwards and cleared the barbed wire easily. She landed on the other side of the fence and immediately begun sprinting towards the Nightbrother.

She entered the ship and went straight to the bridge. She flicked the dials and switches making the engines roar to life.

She could see Maul running towards her as she begun preparing the ship for takeoff. More Clones arrived and were shooting after Maul. One of the Clones pointed to the bridge where Ahsoka sat.

From her vantage point she thought that she’d heard a voice shout;

"Over there, it’s the general!"

She was about to duck out of view when she saw Maul spin and swiftly run his lightsaber through the clone’s chest.

"No!" she screamed as the clone’s body fell to the ground.

She watched as Maul jumped onto the ship. The clones were closing in and focusing their fire on the Nightbrother. They needed to move but Ahsoka felt frozen in place.

She quickly brought back to reality when she heard Maul behind her.

"What are you waiting for?!" He shouted "Take off!"

There was no turning back now.

\--------

When they were safely in hyperspace, she raised her lightsaber to Maul.

"You said you wouldn’t harm them" she said.

Maul gave her a smirk.

"You’re too trusting" he said calmly "And too emotional. I think you’ll find there’s a million more just like the one I disposed of, but we had but one chance to escape that planet"

"You lied" she said, not backing down.

"May I assume you have never lied to get what you want?" he asked "Not the Jedi way is it? Now, we both know that you won’t kill me so please put that away" he gestured to her lightsaber.

Ahsoka was seething but she knew that he was right. She needed to get to Coruscant. She couldn’t fight him, yet. She retracted her lightsaber and let her hand fall to her side.

She took a deep breath to steady herself. There was a purpose to all of this. She had to stay focused.

Maul was using her, she knew he was. No doubt he wanted her to be the distraction and would turn on her the moment he no longer needed her help. She therefore felt no guilt in her plan to use him. Having him on Coruscant should be enough of a diversion for her to get Padmé to safety. Hopefully she could get to Anakin too..

She felt a knot in her stomach. She still couldn’t believe her vision’s words.

Anakin wouldn’t fall, would he? She paused. Jesse told her that Maul wanted information on him.

Before she could stop herself she asked "What did you want with Anakin Skywalker?"

Fear flashed across Maul’s face once again, all arrogance now gone.

"He is the key" he whispered "The key to it all. He is to become my old masters’ new apprentice".

Fury suddenly flooded Ahsoka.

"You are mistaken" she said "Anakin would never betray the Jedi".

"It has been foreseen" Maul said "It has been foretold! You have been blinded by your feelings but soon, oh yes very soon you will see. The Jedi will all see. The _Chosen One._ His true loyalties lie with Sidious"

Ahsoka couldn’t believe what she was hearing. That Maul could even suggest such a thing. Without thinking, she begun to once again reach for her lightsaber. Anakin would never..

She stopped.

_It will fall, and Anakin will fall with it._

She had been warned.

Ahsoka was still for a moment and Maul watched her closely. He could feel as her emotions shifted from pain, to rage to disbelief to.. was that grief?

"Just tell me when we’re coming out of hyperspace" she said as she turned and left the bridge.

She needed to be alone right now.

She wandered the ship for a while as she tried to steady herself. Eventually she found a quiet corner, well it was more of a cupboard actually but it would have to do. 

She sat cross legged and grounded herself on the cool metal floor. She closed her eyes as she emptied her mind. She pushed out with her feelings as she felt the force around her. Please reach him.

"Anakin, I’m here, please know I’m here" was all she could think over and over.

Nothing.

Leaving the Jedi order had an impact on her bond with Anakin, there was no doubt about that. She wasn’t sure whether he’d shut himself off or was just too far away for her to be able to hear him.

Either way, it wasn’t working.

She tried again, tried to reach out to feel his familiar presence, to tell him that she was here, that whatever mess he’d gotten himself into it would be ok.

Nothing.

After a few hours of silence, Ahsoka had to give up on meditating. She couldn't hear him.

She suddenly became aware of how tired she was. She knew she should try to get some sleep. After all, she’d been in the middle of a battle before she’d upped and joined Maul. She couldn’t actually remember the last time she’d slept.

She swung her legs out from underneath her so she could lay straight. The floor of the ship was hard and cold but she did her best to make herself comfortable. She found this oddly familiar. After all, she’d practically grown up in the GAR. She was used to sleeping on the floor of a ship.

A small part of her expected Maul to try something whilst she was sleeping, but she shook this thought from her mind almost as soon as she’d had it. It would be pointless for him to hurt her now. Even so, she made sure she kept her lightsabers close.

She closed her eyes, mind racing.

She turned onto her side to see if that was better. When that didn’t work she turned to lay on her back. After a while she sat up.

This was useless.

What was she going to do? How was she supposed to pull this off?

She thought of the warning. Why had the Force sent her back from the future to save Padmé of everyone? What was so important about this senator given everything else that was going on? It didn’t make any sense.

She rubbed her face as she tried to think.

This path had been given to her by the Force. She would have to trust that it knew what it was doing.

Even so, she wished the Force had been a little less vague.

She tried to think of how to find the senator, how she would explain all of this to her, think of what she would do if she actually got Padmé away from Coruscant.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t formulate a plan. She would just have to wing it.

She sighed.

She felt exhausted, but knew there would be no sleep for her now.

She had a feeling that they must be pretty close to Coruscant by now so she got up and started heading back towards the bridge.

As she entered, she found Maul sat by the controls, just where she’d left him all those hours ago.

He didn’t turn to face her when she entered, but said in his soft voice;

‘Impeccable timing, we’ve arrived’.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's taken me much longer to get this chapter up than I'd hoped, work was crazy this week which sadly didn't leave a lot of time for writing. But I got there in the end! 
> 
> The next chapter is in the works so I hope it won't be long before it's ready :) 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Coruscant appeared before themas one giant ball of light. Whilst Ahsoka had lived on Coruscant for most of her life, she still marvelled whenever she saw the city planet. The lights below shone so brightly the planet almost blended into the stars. 

As was the norm, there were hundreds of ships orbiting the planet, coming and going to supply this densely populated world. 

The Nightbrother moved swiftly through the traffic, making it’s descent toward the planet’s surface. 

Inside the ship, Ahsoka was beginning to feel tense. She thought that _surely_ she’d be able to feel Anakin’s presence now that she was here, but whenever she reached out she felt nothing. It was as if he’d disappeared. 

All she could feel through the Force was darkness. It made her feel so cold. 

The feeling intensified the closer they got to the surface. It was as if the whole planet was surrounded by the dark side. 

It made her feel uneasy. 

She went over to the ships’ communicator to see if she could make contact with the Jedi Temple. She had to at least attempt to warn them. 

"This is Ahsoka Tano" she said into the speaker "Calling on the Jedi council. I repeat, this is Ahsoka Tano"

Maul scoffed. Ahsoka shot him a dirty look before going on. 

"I repeat, this is Ahsoka Tano calling on the Jedi Council"

"You are wasting your time" said Maul. 

Ahsoka was about to give up when she heard a voice say;

"Ahsoka Tano?"

She paused. She knew that voice. 

"Master Plo!" she exclaimed "Boy am I glad to hear your voice".

She thought she heard the Del Koor master chuckle. 

"I must say, this is unexpected" he said "How may I help?"

Ahsoka paused. How was she supposed to explain herself? Before thinking she asked; 

"Have you seen Anakin?"

"General Skywalker should be in the temple" Master Plo said in his muffled voice "though where I cannot say". 

The feeling of unease begun to grow in Ahsoka’s stomach. 

"The Jedi are in danger" she said.

"Danger?" asked Master Plo "What danger?"

"I don’t know" said Ahsoka lamely. 

She wasn’t doing a very good job of this.

Maul scoffed again and she shot him another deadly look. 

"I had a vision" Ahsoka managed at last. 

Ok, that was better. Vision made more sense than the fact that she may have been hallucinating after suffering a concussion. 

"Go on" said Master Plo.

"It gave me a warning" she said "I’ve been told that the Republic and the Jedi will fall and.." 

She was going to mention the part on Anakin but the words died in her throat. She couldn’t bring herself to do it. 

"And?" the Master said encouragingly.

"And everyone is in danger" Ahsoka finished. "I don’t know what’s coming. But you would be wise to get as many Jedi away from Coruscant as you can". 

"I will do.. I will.. Ahsoka?"

His words were coming out in fragments. 

"Master Plo?" asked Ahsoka "Master Plo? Are you there"

The line had gone dead. She begun pressing the controls to get him back but soon realised that it was useless. The signal was being jammed. 

Ahsoka was about too try something else when she suddenly gasped in horror. 

She felt as though she had been transported. She was no longer aboard Maul’s ship. 

She looked around her wildly. 

She couldn't see anything other than darkness but she could hear voices. They were fragments of shouts, screams.. 

_"He’s too dangerous to be left alive!"_

Ahsoka's head whipped around. 

"Master Windu?" she shouted through the darkness "Is that you?"

She tried to move but it was as if she’d lost control of her limbs, like she had been caught in a ray shield.  She could hear Master Windu argue with someone, who? What was happening? 

There was so much darkness, so much hate, so much despair. Ahsoka struggled with all her might to free herself from these invisible bonds. She needed to move. 

She was about to call out again when she heard a voice shout;

_"I_ _need him!"_

"Anakin" she breathed. 

He was in trouble. 

There was a swoosh of a lightsaber. Someone cried out in pain. 

There was silence for a split second then Ahsoka heard a cry of; 

_"UNLIMITED POWER!"_

She felt a rip shoot through the Force the way it did whenever a life was lost. 

Her bonds released and Ahsoka felt her knees give way beneath her. She crashed to the ground.

She felt a shiver run though her as she heard a horrific cackle. She didn't need to see him to know that this voice belonged to the Sith Lord. Anakin was with Sidious. 

She gasped in horror as she heard the voice of her mentor, her friend, her brother say.. 

_"I pledge myself to your teachings"_

Sidious cackled again.

_"The force is strong with you, a powerful Sith you shall become. Henceforth you shall be known as Darth Vader"_

No! It couldn’t be! 

She pushed out with all her might as she screamed through the Force. 

"ANAKIN!"

Then. There was nothing. 

Ahsoka opened her eyes. She was on the floor of Maul’s ship. She looked around her wildly and scrambled quickly to her feet. 

She caught sight of Maul, he too had fallen to the floor. His eyes were wide as he stared blankly. 

He’d wrapped his arms around himself and was muttering "Master and apprentice, together at last..master and apprentice together at last…"

Ahsoka squeezed her eyes shut. He knew. He had seen what she had seen. 

Anakin was gone. 

They had been too late. 

Ahsoka felt hopelessness threaten to engulf her. She couldn’t help but let out a scream. She had failed. 

She tried with all her might to steady herself as tears threatened to fall. 

She hadn’t been able to save her master. 

A voice suddenly came into her mind. 

_Anakin may fall but he will not be lost. Save Padmé and she can save him._

Her head snapped up. This was not the end. Anakin may be gone but it wasn’t too late to save him. She needed to get to Padmé. 

There was still hope. 

She grabbed the controls of the ship and changed their course.

She had to block out Maul’s incoherent cries, she made out the words;

"Savage!" and "Revenge!"

She ignored him.

Ahsoka had to focus on the task at hand. She could only imagine that Padmé would be at her apartment given the time of day. She knew the Senator lived near to the Senate building so she brought the ship down as close to it as she could manage. The Senator’s residential complex shouldn’t be too far from here. 

The moment the ship’s landing gear touched the planet, Maul seemed to snap out of his trance. 

He immediately jumped up and ignited his lightsaber. Ahsoka sensed his attack and swiftly brought her blade to meet his. 

"What are you doing!" she exclaimed. 

Maul let out strangled cries as he slashed his lightsaber at Ahsoka again and again and again. 

"Why. Did. You. Bring. Me. HERE" he screamed. 

Ahsoka didn’t have time to comprehend the absurdity of Maul’s words. She just ducked and dived to avoid his advance. 

Maul was pushing her back. 

"Get out!" he shouted. 

Ahsoka found herself retreating out of the bridge and towards the rear of the ship. 

She managed to slam the controls to open the door to the outside. She didn’t have time to wait for the ramp so flipped and landed sharply on the landing platform below. 

She quickly spun to face Maul, lightsabers raised. 

To her surprise. Maul was still stood on the ship, looking down on her. 

"The opportunity to act has passed" said Maul "Sidious will not be defeated today".

"So, you’re running away?" said Ahsoka, not moving from her attack stance. 

"Yes, yes" said Maul "the time has come to disappear".

Ahsoka stood, staring at Maul. She couldn’t believe how unpredictable he was. Perhaps this is what happens to someone when they’re cut in half. 

"Goodbye Lady Tano" Maul said "Perhaps our paths will cross again some day".

Ahsoka didn’t have time for this. 

Now that Maul wasn’t a threat to her, she needed to leave. She turned from the ship and begun sprinting. She needed to find Padmé.

She still didn’t understand how Padmé could save Anakin from this mess. If Ahsoka couldn’t help him, how could she? 

Then again, she knew that he and the Senator were close. How close she couldn’t say. Anakin had always played things close to his chest when it came to Padmé, but even he had let his guard slip from time to time. Ahsoka did know that despite what he said, they were most certainly more than friends. 

She had always known that there was conflict within Anakin. Ahsoka could tell that he had thoughts about leaving the order, but he never did. The order was his life. Though, she knew that Anakin had a tendency to make and follow his own rules.

She skidded around the corner and felt relieved as she saw the unmistakable sight of Padmé’s apartment block come into view. 

She ran up to the front door and rang the buzzer. 

Here goes nothing, she thought. 

—————————

Padmé was sat in her living room, scrolling through her latest bill proposition when she’d heard the buzzer go. Her head snapped up. She wasn’t expecting anyone, who could it be? 

She got up and begun making her way over to the door. She knew that someone else would answer the call, but couldn’t help but go to see who was there. 

As she walked, she stopped suddenly and winced as she felt one of the babies kick. She still couldn’t believe that she was soon going to be the mother of twins. It had been almost as much of a surprise as finding out that she was pregnant in the first place. 

She knew that she needed to tell Anakin about the twins soon but she hadn’t found the right time yet. He’d been so shocked when she’d told him that she was pregnant she didn’t want to add to his worry. 

He’d been so distracted lately. He hadn’t been sleeping. 

She knew he was still having those terrible dreams, then came his mission to spy on the chancellor. He was under so much stress at the moment she felt that this news might be a bit too much for him. 

She was fully aware that she would have to tell him soon. She knew he would realise when she’d given birth to _two_ babies.. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She would find the right time, she was sure of it. 

When she arrived at the door, she was surprised to hear Captain Typho having a heated argument with whoever was on the other end. 

"I’ve told you" he said as he tried and failed to keep the edge out of his voice "I’m not letting you in".

"And I told you" said the crackly voice through the speaker "I must speak to Senator Amidala now, this is important".

Padmé was surprised to realise that she recognised the voice on the other end.

"Ahsoka?" she said in disbelief pushing past Captain Typho "Is it really you?"

Padmé could hear the relief in Ashoka’s voice as she answered "Yes, it’s me. Would you mind letting me in?"

"Of course" she replied. 

Padmé pressed the release button and said "C ome on up".

"Senator" said Captain Typho sounding horrified "I seriously advise against.."

Padmé cut him off.

"It’s Ahsoka" she said "She’s not going to hurt me".

She went back into the living room to sit down. She found that she couldn’t stand for too long these days without getting tired. The medical droid had told her that the babies would be coming any day now. The thought filled her with both excitement and dread. 

Whilst she knew that it was hardly a secret in the Senate that she was pregnant, it had still caused quite the scandal. She had tried to be discreet in the beginning but her growing stomach was so completely obvious by now that there was no longer any point in trying to hide it. 

She knew that people stared at her, whispered behind her back. She hadn’t told anyone that Anakin was the father, she hadn’t announced who the father was at all. That had seemed to only fuel the rumours. 

Now, everyone seemed to have their own theory, some more plausible than others. She did nothing to stop the rumours. The more speculation the better in her mind. 

Though there were some who suspected the truth.

When the babies were born, would she and Anakin be able to hide their relationship any longer? And if not, what would happen to him? She couldn’t imagine that he’d be allowed to stay with the Jedi. His life’s work ruined because of her.. No. She couldn’t think like that. Anakin loved her and he’d always known the risks that came along with that. Even so, it wouldn’t make it any easier for her to watch. He was the Republic’s poster boy after all. 

She’d gotten so caught up in her thoughts she’d almost forgotten about Ahsoka until she heard her voice coming from the hallway. 

"Will you let me through!" she demanded "I don’t care about your security protocols, I need to see Padmé now!"

This made Padmé chuckle. It was nice to know that Ahsoka hadn’t changed. 

She had to admit that she was surprised that she had shown up out of the blue like this. She hadn’t seen or spoken to Ahsoka since she’d left the Jedi Order. She knew that it had hit Anakin hard when she’d left. He missed her terribly, though Padmé had learned to stop asking him about it. 

"Come in Ahsoka" she called "you may leave us Captain". 

Captain Typho had really raised the security protocols since she’d told him about the babies. Whilst she appreciated his efforts, it was becoming a bit much. Hadn’t she proved by now that she could look out for herself? No one had tried to kill her for a few months, she would take that as a success. 

She could hear the Captain grumble as Ahsoka entered the room. Padmé couldn’t help but break into a smile when she saw her. 

Ahsoka looked slightly older than the last time she’d seen her. She was definitely taller and her montrals had grown. Looking closer, Padmé was slightly shocked to see that she was a mess. Her face was covered in dirt streaked with sweat and her clothes were torn and singed. Padmé couldn’t help but wonder where she’d been to end up in this state, she must have left in a hurry.

"It’s so good to see you!" she exclaimed as she stood to greet her. 

"And you.." Ahsoka begun before her eyes fixed on Padmé’s stomach. 

"Wait, you're pregnant?!" she exclaimed. 

She looked as if she’d just been stunned. 

"Ah, yes, about that" Padmé started sheepishly.

"Anakin" Ahsoka breathed "It’s Anakin’s isn’t it?"

"Yes" answered Padmé. 

There was no point denying it, not to Ahsoka.

"And it’s they" she added "I’m having twins".

Her hand absentmindedly reached to rest on her stomach.

Ahsoka nodded slowly before sinking to a chair. 

"This complicates things" she said.

"What are you talking about?" asked Padmé feeling confused "Are you alright?"

"What?" asked Ahsoka seemingly lost in her thoughts "Yes I’m fine, but this will be much harder than I thought".

Padmé was beginning to get annoyed. 

"Ahsoka" she said in her most authoritative voice "What’s going on. Talk to me"

Ahsoka paused for a moment and closed her eyes, deep in thought. 

After a moment, she looked directly at Padmé. 

"This won’t be easy for you to hear" she finally said "but I need you trust me"

Padmé was beginning to feel worried.

Ahsoka took a deep breath and begun speaking. She told Padmé everything. The Jedi, Darth Sidious, Maul, the vision and finally, Anakin. 

"I don’t know what’s happened to him" she finished carefully "but if you stay here you’re going to be in terrible danger. The Force has sent me to protect you and I will fight to my last breath to make sure I keep you safe".

Padmé sat still for a long time. 

She couldn’t believe it, Ahsoka was wrong! Anakin could never.. he would never.. after a moment’s silence she managed to choke out a "No". 

"What?" said Ahsoka "Padmé, didn’t you listen to what I’ve said to you? I need to get you out of here, somewhere far away". 

"No" she said again louder this time "I’m not-, I can’t just leave Ahsoka. I’m needed here. My work is here and Anakin.." she trailed off. 

Ahsoka sighed heavily.

"There won’t be a Republic left Padmé" she said "I’ve risked everything coming back to Coruscant, I wouldn’t be here if I thought I had another choice. Please believe me".

Padmé wanted to tell her to get out. She wanted to tell her to leave and never come back for saying such terrible things. 

The words died in her throat. There was a part of her that knew Ahsoka spoke the truth. She didn’t know how, she just..knew. 

She was still considering Ahsoka’s offer when Captain Typho ran into the room. 

"Senator!" he exclaimed "the Temple, it’s on fire!"

Ahsoka sprung to her feet and ran to the window.  Padmé got up as quickly as she dared and went to stand next to her. 

In the distance, they could see plumes of thick, black smoke raising from the ancient building. 

In the background Captain Typho had switched on the HoloNet where an up close image flashed up followed by the narration "..our brave Clone Troopers have been sent to try to get the situation under control. More news as it comes in.."

Captain Typho spun round and squared up to Ahsoka, glaring at her with his good eye. 

"What’s going on?" he demanded.

Ahsoka didn’t seem to have heard him. She was frozen in place staring at the grainy image of the Temple shown on the HoloNet.

"I didn’t think it would be so soon" she was saying to herself "I thought they would have more time". 

Padmé didn’t need to be able to use the Force to feel Ahsoka’s distress. She put a hand on her shoulder as she tried to comprehend what was happening. 

She felt terrified. Who would do this to the Jedi, had the Separatists finally bought the war to Coruscant? Where was Anakin? 

Ahsoka seemed to suddenly snap into action. 

"We need to leave now" she said to Padmé "Get only what you need, you’ll have to leave the rest. We can find supplies on the way".

Padmé stood stunned for a moment. Was she really going to do this? Run away with a someone who was still essentially a child? Leave everything behind? And for what, a vision? She needed more time to get her head around this, she needed more time to think! 

Ahsoka was barking orders at Captain Typho, something about getting to a ship.

Padmé thought back to the time on Alderaan. Ahsoka’s dreams, the assassin. She had put her trust in Ahsoka and she had saved her then. 

Her hand found her stomach again. If Ahsoka was right and this was the only way then she had to listen. 

It wasn’t just about her anymore.

She could hear Ahsoka continue to argue with Captain Typho as she went into her bedroom. 

She found a bag and begun opening drawers, grabbing and stuffing whatever she could find into the small bag. 

She looked longingly into her wardrobe at her beautiful gowns. She was sure there wasn’t any room for them wherever they were going. They would have to stay behind. 

Ahsoka came into the room. 

"Ready to go?" she asked.

Padmé wasn’t exactly sure what to say, she doubted there was a correct answer to that question. 

She handed the bag to Ahsoka and gave a stiff nod. 

Ahsoka begun ushering her out of the bedroom and through the apartment. 

Padmé took a deep breath as she stepped into the Turbolift. 

There was no time to look back. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's still reading and for those who have left kudos/comments. It really means a lot :) 
> 
> Next chapter coming soon!

The ship was cold. Space was always cold but Padmé couldn’t help but feel a shiver come over her as she looked out at the rushing blue of hyperspace. 

Everything had happened so quickly after they’d left her apartment. Padmé had kept her head down as Ahsoka and Captain Typho had ushered her through the streets to the ship. Luckily, the streets of Coruscant had been unusually quiet whilst they made their way to the landing pad. 

As soon as they’d taken off, Padmé had started firing questions at Ahsoka. Where were they going? How long would she have to stay away? Where was Anakin? What had happened to him? Was he safe?

Ahsoka had been frustratingly vague. She had told Padmé that she was in danger, but not what the danger was. She’d told her that something had happened to Anakin but not what exactly.

"We need to escape first" Ahsoka had said "There will be time to explain later". 

Padmé had a bad feeling that she was hiding something from her. Ahsoka had taken her communicator and had told her that under no circumstances was she to make contact with anyone. 

She couldn’t get her head around any of this. This morning, she’d woken up on Coruscant, in her apartment, the war was nearly over. 

Now, she was floating in the middle of space. Far away from the life she had known. She had no idea where she was or where Ahsoka was planning on taking her. 

Padmé had been told to go and rest. Ahsoka said that she and Captain Typho would take care of things. She had argued but it hadn’t gotten her anywhere. 

They’d both been speaking to her like she was something fragile, like she was going to break. She felt insulted that they thought so little of her, she was a Senator for crying out loud! Hadn’t she proven by now that she could handle herself? 

Padmé let out a sigh as she turned away from the window. She had tried sleeping but it hadn’t been any use. She just couldn’t get comfortable. Her back hurt, her legs ached. 

One of the babies started pressing on her bladder. Time to use the refresher again.. 

She left the room and headed down the corridor to use the facilities for what felt like the millionth time. 

On her way back, she walked passed the bridge. She paused. She could hear voices. 

Ahsoka didn’t want her to know about something, Padmé was sure of that. She walked over to the door and listened. She was surprised that she could hear Obi-Wan’s voice. They must have been able to make contact with him. 

She tried to stay as quiet as she could as she strained to hear what was being said on the other side of the door. 

"Without your warning I fear the slaughter on Coruscant would have been much worse" said the crackly voice of Obi-Wan "Though I’m afraid I can’t say the same for the rest of the galaxy".

"Did you get everyone out?" asked Ahsoka "Before the attack?"

There was silence for a moment before another voice said "Not all". 

Padmé recognised it as Master Plo Koon. 

"I had managed to evacuate the younglings before the soldiers arrived" said Master Plo "I had to flee after that to ensure the children’s safety. I am unsure who else survived". 

Padmé felt a knot in her stomach. 

"We’re still not sure how wide-spread this is" said Obi-Wan "My troops turned on me just as I defeated Grievous. I’ve heard it’s been happening everywhere. I’ve tried rerouting the signal from the Temple to advise survivors to stay away, though I’m not sure how many more are left. Bail and Yoda are discussing plans for a possible rendezvous point".

"I still don’t understand why the clones would turn against us" said Ahsoka, her voice shaking with rage. "It doesn’t make any sense". 

Padmé let out a quiet gasp. The Clone Troopers had turned against the Jedi? Why would they do that?

"None of it seems to make sense unfortunately" answered Obi-Wan sadly "It seems as though we have been deceived this whole time". 

There was silence for a moment before Obi-Wan went on. 

"That isn’t all" he said in a strained voice "The attack on the temple, the Clones didn’t act alone. They were led by a Jedi". 

Padmé held her breath. She was practically pressing up against the door, as she waited for Obi-Wan to continue. 

"No!" said Ahsoka "Not him".

There was silence once again. 

Padmé wanted to scream in frustration. Who were they talking about! 

"This isn’t right Obi-Wan" Ahsoka went on "He’s not himself. On Coruscant, through the Force I felt.. but he wouldn’t do this to the Jedi!"

"I wish it weren’t true" said Obi-Wan in his strained voice "But it is. I’ve seen the security footage. It was Anakin". 

Padmé felt her whole body go cold. 

No. Not Anakin. 

He wouldn’t.. he wasn’t capable of.. 

She placed her hand on the wall to steady herself before slamming the control to open the door to the bridge. 

Ahsoka whipped round and looked at her wide eyed.

"Padmé!" she said in a shocked voice. 

She clearly hadn’t wanted her to hear this conversation. 

"This isn’t the best.." Ahsoka begun but Padmé ignored her. 

She walked into the bridge and squared up to the image of Obi-Wan. She was momentarily taken aback at the look of him. He looked exhausted, defeated. 

"You’re wrong about Anakin" she said. 

Obi-Wan looked down. 

"I have seen the footage myself Padmé" he said "Anakin has turned to the dark side".

Padmé turned to Ahsoka. 

"Did you know?" she insisted.

"I didn’t know about the Temple" Ahsoka replied.

Padmé noticed she looked just as defeated as Obi-Wan. 

"Is this why I had to leave Coruscant?" Padmé asked.

"I was told to save you" said Ahsoka "I was told that you could save him".

"Then what are we doing here!" said Padmé "Why did you take me away from him!"

"I’m doing what I must to keep you safe" said Ahsoka "You heard what Obi-Wan said, you heard what Anakin’s done!"

Padmé squeezed her eyes shut.

"I can’t believe it’s true" she said. 

"He’s gone" Ahsoka said "We’re not going back, not now".

"Ahsoka’s right" said Obi-Wan.

Padmé turned to face him. 

"Palpatine is the Sith Lord we have been looking for" he said "He was responsible for the War, and Anakin has pledged himself to be his new apprentice. It is our advice that you get to safety. The remaining Jedi will deal with this".

Padmé could feel her chest tighten. 

"No" she whispered.

"He has become a great danger" said Obi-Wan.

Padmé choked back a sob as the reality begun to dawn on her. 

"You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?" she said. 

Obi-Wan couldn’t look at her. 

"It’s for the good of the galaxy" she heard Plo Koon say. 

Padmé begun to breathe very quickly. She could feel her knees give way beneath her. 

Ahsoka wrapped her arms around her waist. 

"It’s ok Padmé, I’ve got you" she said. 

She felt as though she might pass out. What was she going to do? What was going to happen to them now? 

Padmé could feel all eyes on her as she tried to keep herself together.

There was silence again.

"Anakin’s the father isn’t he?" said Obi-Wan finally. 

Padmé’s eyes looked up to meet his. 

She didn’t answer. There was no need.

"I’m so sorry" he said.

—————————————

Padmé lay for what felt like hours. Ahsoka had insisted that she went to lie down. The conversation with the Jedi had continued after she’d left the room. She was sure that they were discussing their plans, schemes, tactics to defeat this new enemy. 

Anakin. 

She couldn’t stop thinking about it. She knew that Anakin hadn’t been himself recently, but she still couldn’t believe what Obi-Wan had said about him. It couldn’t be true. He wasn’t capable of.. 

Anakin wasn’t a bad person. Whatever had happened she knew it wasn’t him.

She had to speak with him.

Ahsoka had made things harder by taking her comm, but this was her ship after all. Her security had insisted on installing secret communication ports in case she was ever captured and needed to get hold of someone in an emergency. She had thought it was a bit much at the time. Now, she was grateful for her security staff’s paranoia. 

She was still for a moment, listening to see whether the coast was clear. 

As far as she could tell, Captain Typho and Ahsoka were still on the bridge. She carefully got to her feet and snuck down the corridor until she got to the communicator pad. 

She knew Anakin's tracking signal off by heart so typed the code into the pad. 

She made sure to scramble the signal before it went live. Anakin would never do anything to hurt her, but she couldn’t risk anyone else being able to pick up their location. 

She took a deep breath as she waited for an answer. 

"Anakin?" she said "Anakin, are you there? Can you hear me?"

Nothing. 

She tried again. She was about to give up when she heard an answer.

"Padmé?" she heard a voice say. 

It was Anakin. 

"Is that really you?" he said.

Padmé couldn’t help but let out a sob. 

"Yes" she said, her voice trembling "It’s me". 

"Where are you?" he demanded "I came to see you and you were gone. I thought.." he trailed off "what happened?"

"I.." Padmé begun. 

She wasn’t sure what to say.

"I've been told things" she said "Such terrible things. I need you to tell me that they’re not true". 

"What things?" he demanded again "Who have you been speaking to?"

Padmé hesitated for a moment. 

"I’ve been told you’ve gone to the dark side" she said "The Jedi.."

He interrupted her. 

"The Jedi can’t be trusted" he said "Listen to me Padmé, the Jedi have betrayed the Republic. They tried to kill the chancellor!"

Padmé was lost for words. This didn’t sound like Anakin. 

"You have to come back to Coruscant" he went on.

There was an edge to his voice that she hadn’t heard before. 

"I.. don’t know if I can" was all she managed to say. 

She could feel his anger through the communicator. 

"No!" he shouted "Don’t you see? I have all the power now, we can do whatever we want. No more hiding". 

"But at what cost?" said Padmé tears stinging in her eyes.

"You’re not seeing the bigger picture" said Anakin "Once I overthrow the Emperor we can rule the galaxy together".

"Listen to yourself!" she said, her voice rising "I don’t want to rule over anyone. I just wanted to be with you, to be a family".

She felt a fresh wave of tears coming, why was he saying these things? 

"It’s them isn’t it?" he said "They’ve turned you against me!"

"What? No!" she cried "What’s happened to.."

She let out a gasp as she felt a sharp stabbing pain in her stomach. 

Oh no. 

Before she could stop herself, she let out a cry. 

"Padmé.. PADMÉ!!" Anakin was screaming through the comm. 

She couldn’t form any words, she could only cry out in pain. 

Padmé heard the door to the bridge open and could see Ahsoka sprinting towards her. 

"What are you doing?!" she asked in horror as she realised that the comm was live. 

She could hear Anakin’s screams coming from the other end. Ahsoka slammed the button to turn it off as Padmé let out another cry.

"Help me" was all Padmé could say "They’re coming, Ahsoka, please help me". 


End file.
